New adult ADHD diagnosis

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epsilonprodigy

epsilonprodigy

Physicist Enough
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NO, I'm not going to ask about special accomodations or try to tell any boo-hoo tale. But for pretty much all of my life, I have been convinced that there was *something* wrong with my attention, brain, concentration, processing... SOMETHING. I had been repeatedly talked out of getting evaluated. People would say, "oh but your grades are so good" and "some people are just a little scatter brained." I finally decided to go and get myself evaluated. Lo and behold, I was right: the doc strongly suspects that I have "ADHD: inattention/anxiety subtype."

I just started on Strattera. Feeling fine so far but wondering what others' experiences have been while studying and being newly on a behavioral med. I have never had any psych history and never taken any such meds before. I mean logically you would hope that it would help you concentrate and therefore study better, but was still curious about what others thought.
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epsilonprodigy said:
NO, I'm not going to ask about special accomodations or try to tell any boo-hoo tale. But for pretty much all of my life, I have been convinced that there was *something* wrong with my attention, brain, concentration, processing... SOMETHING. I had been repeatedly talked out of getting evaluated. People would say, "oh but your grades are so good" and "some people are just a little scatter brained." I finally decided to go and get myself evaluated. Lo and behold, I was right: the doc strongly suspects that I have "ADHD: inattention/anxiety subtype."

I just started on Strattera. Feeling fine so far but wondering what others' experiences have been while studying and being newly on a behavioral med. I have never had any psych history and never taken any such meds before. I mean logically you would hope that it would help you concentrate and therefore study better, but was still curious about what others thought.
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Just wanted to say that people suck. Kudos on getting checked out anyway :thumbup:
 
That's the funny thing: people don't mean it that way, they actually want to reassure you. But what's really reassuring is finding out that yes, there's a name for it!

Fortunately or unfortunately, I did a great job tailoring my life to suit it. In the PICU and ER, ADHD isn't just a condition, it could be called an asset! I am really, really glad I got checked and would encourage others not to be talked out of it because they are "so smart, they couldn't possibly have a problem." Only YOU know how you feel.
 
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epsilonprodigy said:
NO, I'm not going to ask about special accomodations or try to tell any boo-hoo tale. But for pretty much all of my life, I have been convinced that there was *something* wrong with my attention, brain, concentration, processing... SOMETHING. I had been repeatedly talked out of getting evaluated. People would say, "oh but your grades are so good" and "some people are just a little scatter brained." I finally decided to go and get myself evaluated. Lo and behold, I was right: the doc strongly suspects that I have "ADHD: inattention/anxiety subtype."

I just started on Strattera. Feeling fine so far but wondering what others' experiences have been while studying and being newly on a behavioral med. I have never had any psych history and never taken any such meds before. I mean logically you would hope that it would help you concentrate and therefore study better, but was still curious about what others thought.
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I didn't get diagnosed until the age of 31. I knew about it for several years previously, but kept trying to slog through it without medication, trying coaching and behavioral modifications, etc. It wasn't until I realized that I had run out of non-medication options and still couldn't get certain parts of my life managed properly (most severe impact was my sleep cycle and needing to remember to take time sensitive medications on a daily basis) I finally decided to get formally diagnosed and try medication.

I can't comment on Strattera because I use the conventional stimulant meds and respond well to them. The functionality profile of a stimulant vs. NSRI is quite different. I am glad that I tried doing so much of the behavioral modification work before doing meds, because I already had many of the skills that I needed. The meds just lowered the resistance bar slightly to the point where my habit retraining could finally stick as a permanent life change instead of a temporary improvement for a few days/weeks. It's still about 80-90% behavioral effort, for me.
 
What kind of doctor diagnosed you and what was your GPA?
 
ILikeDrugs said:
What kind of doctor diagnosed you and what was your GPA?
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Not sure if you're asking me or the OP, but I'll answer anyway if it's helpful to others. I was diagnosed through a multi-hour questionnaire and assessment interview at the adult psychiatric outpatient clinic of a local hospital, and have monthly followup appointments.

My GPA is fine, 3.5-3.6 attending university part time while working 50+ hours weekly and volunteering/ECs. Note: the GPA in my MD Apps profile is dramatically reduced down to 3.0 sGPA/3.2 cGPA by a semester's worth of Incomplete-to-Fs from 1996, which were unrelated to ADHD.

For years many people told me that I couldn't have it because I'm "too high functioning". Not true. I just put in twice the effort and got half the sleep in order to produce a "normal" amount of work.

ETA: My primary care physician was also willing to diagnose me, but I chose to get a referral to the psych clinic in order to be diagnosed as thoroughly as possible. Since these medications can show up on a drug screen, and with all the controversy surrounding abuse of stimulants as academic performance-enhancers, it's important to ensure that everything is above board.
 
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I was diagnosed at least twice. Once in my early 20s and once in my late 20s. (There is some evidence to suggest people were leaning towards a diagnosis really young too). Some people still can't believe I have ADHD because my college grades were very good and so were my graduate school grades.

I was only put on meds two years ago. My grades haven't changed a huge amount, but I am spending a lot less time trying to study so my efficiency has drastically improved.

The only problem is I'm very sensitive to meds and the meds just don't clear from my system so I can almost overdose on really low amounts so I can't take my meds every day. (My doctor knows this). I use a mixture of low doses of Adderall and Ritalin. I couldn't take Strattera because it gave me horrible, horrible seizures which is ironic because that is not supposed to cause them.
 
I was diagnosed by several psychiatrists as a teenager and began treatment with Ritalin then Straterra neither of which worked. I gave up on meds for many years and tried SO MANY remedies/treatments/plans to overcome my ADHD without meds. Finally in college when my course load got tougher it was impossible to keep up. So many wasted hours staring at the textbooks of classes I loved! I hear all the time "oh you just have trouble focusing on your classes or tough boring info." Unfortunately the truth about ADHD is many of us cannot even focus on the things we love doing.

Anyways, I take Adderall XR as of a year ago and it is nice being able to sit down and study when I need to. It doesnt give me super study skills like some people would like to believe, it just makes studying/reading seem normal and effective like it should be.

The only problem with stimulants are the side effects. I take weekends off and feel like my brain is dead for a day or two. However I sleep like a log. My BP and HR are def elevated as well though not to dangerous levels. Healthy diet and exercise are a must!
 
Bayonetwork said:
I hear all the time "oh you just have trouble focusing on your classes or tough boring info." Unfortunately the truth about ADHD is many of us cannot even focus on the things we love doing.
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Or, we can focus on the things we love doing, but those are never the things we should be doing. And we lose complete track of time, if we had it in the first place. The daily stuff of life like paying bills (on time), getting to work on time, getting to sleep and waking up at reasonable times, etc... those things are never going to be things I love and get excited about. I'm not saying that anyone else loves doing chores, but my point is that when I'm unmedicated my level of interest or stimulation for a given activity has to be pretty extreme in order to get the necessary level of focus.... and then I switch over into obsessive/hyperfocus and neglect everything else. Fail. :thumbdown:
Bayonetwork said:
Anyways, I take Adderall XR as of a year ago and it is nice being able to sit down and study when I need to. It doesnt give me super study skills like some people would like to believe, it just makes studying/reading seem normal and effective like it should be.
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Exactly. It doesn't make everything sparkly and exciting. Rather, it increases my ability to tolerate boring, menial, routine, or dull tasks. Also, the big thing I notice is a much better awareness of time, both in terms of what time is it now and a sense of how much time has elapsed.
Bayonetwork said:
The only problem with stimulants are the side effects. I take weekends off and feel like my brain is dead for a day or two. However I sleep like a log. My BP and HR are def elevated as well though not to dangerous levels. Healthy diet and exercise are a must!
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Thankfully I was on the end of the spectrum of always sleepy/tired, and fairly slow pulse and low BP (like 90/50). A very moderate dose of Concerta brings my BP up to 100/65, and I feel great! :)
 
I first got diagnosed with a learning disability around 5 years ago, where they tested my multiple IQs and saw where I had discrepancies. I apparently have something like a 30-40 point difference between my short term IQ (98-100) and long term IQ and verbal IQ (both are much higher). A year later I got diagnosed with ADHD. I tried some of the instant release stimulants, but they made me so hyperfocused that I couldn't think clearly, and gave me sleepiness.

I know a lot of adults with ADHD who were able to get through life without poor grades and have gotten themselves through graduate school or medical school. For me, I've been either a bad student or an inconsistent student as long as I can remember. My concentration varies a lot at it's own will, my sense of time is pretty bad, and reading a page in a book takes me quite a bit, as I can't really retain a sentence I read at a first glance. Like you guys said, I will be reading or studying something I could be really interested in, but I will lose attention. Or a thought will flutter across my mind and I impulsively have to google it, which leads me to hours worth of random internet searches....

I'm still trying to manage my ADHD but with mixed luck. I still haven't learned how to properly study, and I've certainly learned that doing more is not necessarily the same as learning more. And my poor sense of time leads me to start studying much later than normal.

I'm actually really interested in how others on this thread have managed their ADHD, or how they found ways to effectively study. I'm going without medication, so it seems that everybody here have found alternate methods of coping with their ADHD (or everybody here is very very intelligent!) :D
 
Dianyla said:
Exactly. It doesn't make everything sparkly and exciting. Rather, it increases my ability to tolerate boring, menial, routine, or dull tasks. Also, the big thing I notice is a much better awareness of time, both in terms of what time is it now and a sense of how much time has elapsed.
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Wait what were we talking about? :D

Your right about the awareness of time, I didnt realize it at first but medication does help with this. I definitely feel a greater sense of urgency when studying or completing assignments. Instead of sitting around like a ****** in a dull empty quiet room still unable to study, I can now sit down and study right away, much more effectively, and be more aware of my time frame. Without meds I will wait til midnight before a paper is due waiting to feel a sense of urgency then scramble together a half-ass paper.

The only thing I a somewhat concerned about is the long term side effects of using some of these ADHD drugs on our body. The slightly elevated HR, BP and toll on our liver must be doing something over time.
 
Unepetitevoix said:
I tried some of the instant release stimulants, but they made me so hyperfocused that I couldn't think clearly, and gave me sleepiness.

<snip>

I'm going without medication, so it seems that everybody here have found alternate methods of coping with their ADHD (or everybody here is very very intelligent!) :D
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Have you not tried the slow release stimulants? I can use the instant stuff in a pinch, but having to remember to take multiple doses per day was almost impossible and the delivery was very peaky. Besides, the likelihood of successfully remembering to take the next dose decreases sharply right as the previous dose is wearing off, right when you need the next one most. D'oh!

BTW, Concerta is going generic this March or April.
Bayonetwork said:
Your right about the awareness of time, I didnt realize it at first but medication does help with this. I definitely feel a greater sense of urgency when studying or completing assignments. Instead of sitting around like a ****** in a dull empty quiet room still unable to study, I can now sit down and study right away, much more effectively, and be more aware of my time frame. Without meds I will wait til midnight before a paper is due waiting to feel a sense of urgency then scramble together a half-ass paper.
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The "time blindness" is huge. Huge!! I could usually remember what I had to do in any given day, but since I had such difficulty knowing what time it actually was I wouldn't notice a missed appointment or task until I suddenly looked at the time and realized... Oh! :eek:

Now, I can be working on a task, glance at the time, see that I have x minutes left before I have to switch tasks or do something else, do a few more minutes, notice the time again, work some more, and eventually the time comes up to switch tasks and then I can switch. It's like magic. To people who are not time-blind I'm sure they're just going "Yeah, what's so special about that? That's how normal people work" because they have no idea what it is like to always fall into a complete black hole of time in the middle of any given activity.

Bayonetwork said:
The only thing I a somewhat concerned about is the long term side effects of using some of these ADHD drugs on our body. The slightly elevated HR, BP and toll on our liver must be doing something over time.
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There is that. This may not be a relevant issue for most of the other posters on this thread (yet) but just wait til you get middle-aged and have a chronic health issue or two. I weigh the cost of stimulant meds against the cost of endocrine issues from failing to take thyroid meds consistently every day, wear and tear on my body from an erratic sleep cycle, easily preventable nutrient deficiencies (anemia, vit D) because I couldn't remember to take supplements daily. Maintaining chronic health issues takes a lot of daily diligence and compliance, and I was trashing my health for years before I got the ADHD under control.
 
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I'm actually on my second day of Adderall XR. (The first day I took 20 mg, and it was too strong for me; I couldn't think clearly or coherently at all!) I'm taking the correct dosage of 10 mg today, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it works out. I feel sleepy with it, but so far I've noticed that I'm a little more calm and time isn't zooming by as fast as it normally feels it does.

Are you on any medications, and does it seem to help with organization or the ADHD symptoms?
 
I'm curious. Of the people in this thread who were diagnosed with ADHD...how many of you completed the "Finger Tapping Test?" And were diagnosed by the results?

I'm just curious because I remember in psych they talked about how it was one of the best ways to truly diagnose ADHD and should always be done. But then I never saw a psychiatrist refer a patient for it.
 
Unepetitevoix said:
I'm actually on my second day of Adderall XR. (The first day I took 20 mg, and it was too strong for me; I couldn't think clearly or coherently at all!) I'm taking the correct dosage of 10 mg today, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it works out. I feel sleepy with it, but so far I've noticed that I'm a little more calm and time isn't zooming by as fast as it normally feels it does.

Are you on any medications, and does it seem to help with organization or the ADHD symptoms?
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I hope Adderall works out for you like it has for me! If it doesnt definitely dont give up its all trial and error. I tried at least 4 others before I settled with Adderall XR. Good thing about stimulants is you will know if it works within 2 weeks and if it doesnt you can stop right away.

Also, if you do stick with 10mg Adderall and your insurance isnt cheap (or non-existent for some of us), you can get rx'd the 20mg and buy empty gelatin capsules and split the salt. My doctor said it should be fine since I couldnt afford it otherwise.
 
epsilonprodigy said:
NO, I'm not going to ask about special accomodations or try to tell any boo-hoo tale. But for pretty much all of my life, I have been convinced that there was *something* wrong with my attention, brain, concentration, processing... SOMETHING. I had been repeatedly talked out of getting evaluated. People would say, "oh but your grades are so good" and "some people are just a little scatter brained." I finally decided to go and get myself evaluated. Lo and behold, I was right: the doc strongly suspects that I have "ADHD: inattention/anxiety subtype."

I just started on Strattera. Feeling fine so far but wondering what others' experiences have been while studying and being newly on a behavioral med. I have never had any psych history and never taken any such meds before. I mean logically you would hope that it would help you concentrate and therefore study better, but was still curious about what others thought.
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Though I've never been talked out of being evaluated (because I've never brought it up), I feel the same exact way about knowing that something is wrong. I've always done really well in school, but I'm sure something isn't "right". I don't really have trouble paying attention or focusing, but everything seems jumbled and mixed up and I can't keep things straight. After reading this, maybe I'll look into it...Thanks :)
 
alwaysaangel said:
I'm curious. Of the people in this thread who were diagnosed with ADHD...how many of you completed the "Finger Tapping Test?" And were diagnosed by the results?

I'm just curious because I remember in psych they talked about how it was one of the best ways to truly diagnose ADHD and should always be done. But then I never saw a psychiatrist refer a patient for it.
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I had heard of this but didn't think the technique was widely used as a diagnostic indicator. Also, I seem to recall that most of the research on this has been done in children and is done to rule out other sensor/motor problems.

My evaluation was a several hours-long questionnaire and interview session conducted by a psychiatrist at a clinic specializing in Adult ADHD. It helped that I had already gotten my other health issues (thyroid, nutrient deficiencies) diagnosed and managed before tackling the ADHD, and I am fortunate to have no other psychiatric comorbidities to complicate the situation.
 
Dianyla said:
I had heard of this but didn't think the technique was widely used as a diagnostic indicator. Also, I seem to recall that most of the research on this has been done in children and is done to rule out other sensor/motor problems.

My evaluation was a several hours-long questionnaire and interview session conducted by a psychiatrist at a clinic specializing in Adult ADHD. It helped that I had already gotten my other health issues (thyroid, nutrient deficiencies) diagnosed and managed before tackling the ADHD, and I am fortunate to have no other psychiatric comorbidities to complicate the situation.
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I was first diagnosed at age 18 via psych interview and minimal testing. Before going to postbacc at age 33, I wanted to have up-to-date testing in case I felt I needed to request accommodations. At that point I underwent >12 hours of neuropsych testing, including whatever that computer test is that involves staring at a boring screen for upwards of 20 minutes while responding to either the common stimuli vs uncommon stimuli. It was comprehensive, and in the process also identified a previously unknown learning disorder in mathematics.

I was a nontrad student almost from the beginning (associates degree, time off, bachelors degree, time off, postbacc+masters, time off, postbacc and now in med school). Cumalative gpa >3.75, bcmp = 4.0. Never had accommodations in school (recent re-testing was prophylactic rather than anticipatory). I took methylphenidate for around 10-12 years. Took vyvanse for nearly 2 hrs but recently stopped due to physical side effects and suspected mood disturbance. I'm heading to the doc soon to see about medication alternatives.

The biggest benefit i experience w meds is an improved ability to sit still and focus. I still lose focus more easily than my med school classmates and still study fewer hours a day than my classmates. However, I'm able to to sit longer than my unmedicated norm. I also have an easier time transitioning between tasks and keeping track of time when I'm on meds.
 
alwaysaangel said:
I'm curious. Of the people in this thread who were diagnosed with ADHD...how many of you completed the "Finger Tapping Test?" And were diagnosed by the results?

I'm just curious because I remember in psych they talked about how it was one of the best ways to truly diagnose ADHD and should always be done. But then I never saw a psychiatrist refer a patient for it.
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I originally had a full length 18 hour psychoeducational and neuropsychological evaluation by two trained psychologists when I was 9. I was tapping, numbering, drawing, etc. It was craziness. They produced a very long report which discussed things in depth. (I later read this as an adult in between my two diagnoses and all the evidence they presented supported an ADHD diagnosis. That is why I wasn't fighting when I was rediagnosed.)

The two times as adults, neither of those had anything involving fingers, but both doctors have a lot of patients with ADHD.
 
It's sooo easy to get diagnosed with ADHD. I really did try to be honest on the test, but when you yourself think you have it, and with the test being reliant on your own testimony, there isn't really a good litmus test. I got the script no problem, and it has helped though, so that's a good sign I suppose.

Also, what the psych told me was that people can cope with ADHD, but eventually as things get harder you hit a tipping point, and I felt like I was hitting that the previous semester and on the MCAT. If you're smart, you can keep getting A's, it just gets that much more difficult.
 
mishaS said:
Also, what the psych told me was that people can cope with ADHD, but eventually as things get harder you hit a tipping point, and I felt like I was hitting that the previous semester and on the MCAT. If you're smart, you can keep getting A's, it just gets that much more difficult.
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That's what my most recent doctor told me. He said that I must have some amazing coping skills.
 
Wow its incredible how similar my story is to many of ya'll, especially with respect to sense of time/scheduling. How many of you all exhibited the other "tell-tale" signs like being disruptive in school? In retrospect, I was a huge bastard throughout high school, and in college I just rarely went to class because of how bored I'd get (Also left early frequently).

I never really realized it until I stopped playing football from an injury. I always thought I was just lazy and a procrastinator, but once my lifestyle became more normal it was incredible how much my studying went to the ****ter when it should have gone in the opposite direction. I saw a school psychiatrist and did the tap-test, sure enough ADHD as they come.

Whenever medicated (15mg Adderall SR) I feel like time slows down and my multitasking ability skyrockets. I second being in a fog on days without medication, though, which worries me. I generally only take them "when I need them" (e.g. work, studying, etc.), and so I'm concerned how my usage will be affected when I start medical school (probably bump myself up to 25mg xr)
 
I wasn't a troublemaker at all and always went to class. Whether I was paying attention to the teacher is another story. I was able to get away with a lot of daydreaming because I was in the gifted program and all the teachers knew it since I would complete a year's worth of work in about a quarter of the time. I would just bring lots of books and other things. If they didn't like what I was bringing in, they would give me other things to do.
 
To the person who asked about GPA.. I am post-bacc, and my U-grad GPA was in the 3.5 neighborhood with an upward trend. Post-bacc GPA is 3.72 with A's in everything except B's and B+'s in orgo. ACT was a 29 in HS. My doctor says that missed diagnoses are common in people with high IQ's (not to blow my own horn) and also in girls, who are less likely to exhibit the "hyperactive" behaviors as kids.

Even in grade school, I would space out alll the time and never had a clue what I was supposed to be doing. I remember once snapping out of my trance and realizing I was supposed to be taking a spelling test! Because I did very well and regularly did things like trying to put the circuits for the gym lights in series instead of parallel by escaping from class and opening up the wall panel (true story!), my teachers decided I was "bored," and I got skipped ahead. This worked out really well in many ways, but didn't get to the root of the problem.

I am now on my 4th week of Straterra. I have noticed some measurable improvements such as I'm much more consistently on time. Also, it's like I have a greater "git 'er done" feeling, and have an easier time doing stuff I hate, like dishes or filing papers. I do notice that I seem to drop off a bit in the late afternoon, though. I mentioned this to my doctor and he prescribed a slightly higher dose, figuring that I will reach a higher peak and lower minimum this way. I am iffy about trying the dopamine reuptake inhibitors- while I wouldn't say I have an anxiety "problem" in general, I do tend to be a bit fast-talking and high-strung, and wouldn't want to exaggerate this:laugh:

To the person who was thinking about getting tested- go for it! It's a little difficult if others aren't noticing problems, because the assessment of your therapy is only your OWN assessment- if you ask people what they think, you'll get a lot of "I don't know, I thought you were fine in the first place." But if you manage to get a good doctor who doesn't poo-poo your concerns based on your functionality, you have a good chance of finding something that works for you. My doctor didn't do anything official- just listened to my descriptions and went from there.
 
epsilonprodigy how much are your ADHD medications helping you? I suspect I might have undiagnosed adult ADHD as well, but if the medications aren't really helpful I might as well ignore it because I do "okay" in school without them.
 
After a little adjustment, I'd say they are helping immensely. I am now on 120 mg Strattera per day, and it's just like a previous poster said- it's like time slows down. I'll be studying and think, wow I've covered a whole chapter, that must have taken me 2 hours or so.. and voila, it's only been 40 minutes. Amazing what a little extra norepi in the ol' synaptic clefts can do.

This was not the case until I got up to 100 mg- though I felt that I was better at multi-tasking, I still had some difficulty concentrating.

I know Adderall and Ritalin will cause just about anyone to morph into a productivity machine, ADHD or not, but not sure if this is true of Strattera. For example, I've never heard of anyone taking it purely to study without any formally-confirmed or suspected ADHD tendencies.
 
Just wondering, how much does it cost to get tested? I know there are people who specialize in ADHD diagnoses - are they worth it? Does insurance cover this? What kind of follow up is required? What is behavioral therapy like?

I highly suspect I have ADHD as well. I have a lot of symptoms - when sitting still I am usually shaking (my leg, my arm, whatever, I'm always in motion), I frequently forget appointments/things/everything I don't write down in my blackberry... etc. Like the OP I am also a girl with a high IQ (tested in the top 0.03% as a kid) (not to toot my own horn, again) and it's like I have this weird inability to focus even when I really TRY - it's not for lack of trying, it's just that even when sitting still and staring at a paper I feel like a part of me just isn't there, it's off wandering somewhere. Not sure quite how to describe the feeling... but yeah. As a kid, I would drive my mom crazy because I would lose EVERYTHING - sweaters, belts, lunchboxes, everything. It's definitely a challenge when trying to learn... and take tests, because I'll have my mind on one section of the material and them mind-jump to another and back and forget where in the test I am, ironically this all happens while trying to concentrate! I really can't focus even when I try, and I DO try - hard. It's frustrating, disappointing, and puzzling.
 
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epsilonprodigy said:
NO, I'm not going to ask about special accomodations or try to tell any boo-hoo tale. But for pretty much all of my life, I have been convinced that there was *something* wrong with my attention, brain, concentration, processing... SOMETHING. I had been repeatedly talked out of getting evaluated. People would say, "oh but your grades are so good" and "some people are just a little scatter brained." I finally decided to go and get myself evaluated. Lo and behold, I was right: the doc strongly suspects that I have "ADHD: inattention/anxiety subtype."

I just started on Strattera. Feeling fine so far but wondering what others' experiences have been while studying and being newly on a behavioral med. I have never had any psych history and never taken any such meds before. I mean logically you would hope that it would help you concentrate and therefore study better, but was still curious about what others thought.
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Just wanted to point out that technically you can't be diagnosed as an adult with ADHD according to DSM-IV. This might change when they come out with the long overdue revision. Your doctor can say that you have an ADHD associated disorder or something along those lines.

However, there are exceptions to any rule. If you have have a history predating your diagnosis as a young child then its allowable. Just weird medical criteria.
 
OH MAN!!!!! I really need to study but there's other stuff that I find more interesting!!! I must have ADHD!!!!!1111111111

Give me a break.
 
PharMed2016 said:
I'm procrastinating right now too. :laugh:

Not looking forward to finishing my lecture on pneumonia... 97 more slides to go before bed. More coffee needed.
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I think you misunderstood my post. I think ADHD/ADD are bunk and I was mocking the OP and the other people that feel the need to drug themselves because things distract them from studying.
 
kcin said:
OH MAN!!!!! I really need to study but there's other stuff that I find more interesting!!! I must have ADHD!!!!!1111111111

Give me a break.
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Until you've met someone that truly has this disease, you'll never know what it's like. Is it over-diagnosed? Absolutely. But to mock a mental disorder makes you sound like a complete idiot! Get a life! Hopefully one that doesn't involve you attempting to help others.
 
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kcin said:
I think you misunderstood my post. I think ADHD/ADD are bunk and I was mocking the OP and the other people that feel the need to drug themselves because things distract them from studying.
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BooRadley85 said:
Until you've met someone that truly has this disease, you'll never know what it's like. Is it over-diagnosed? Absolutely. But to mock a mental disorder makes you sound like a complete idiot! Get a life! Hopefully one that doesn't involve you attempting to helping others.
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+1. Very interesting stance to take, if you claim you want to make your living as a medical doctor. Have fun not prescribing drugs to any of your patients.
 
My buddy was just diagnosed with this. Now he gets double the regularly allotted time to complete ochem exams.

... Lucky bastard. ;)
 
BooRadley85 said:
Until you've met someone that truly has this disease, you'll never know what it's like. Is it over-diagnosed? Absolutely. But to mock a mental disorder makes you sound like a complete idiot! Get a life! Hopefully one that doesn't involve you attempting to help others.
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U mad bro?
 
gettheleadout said:
Don't like the DSM-IV eh?
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I suppose it's not actually bunk if you want to call it a mental illness based on the standards of the DSM-IV. However, I think it's a complete load of crap that so many people need to be medicated for this. Sure, there maybe be one or two in every hundred people diagnosed where it is a serious issue. However, you've got people like the OP who are full of crap and just want something to blame for their inability to focus.

It's a joke. Everybody and their brother gets diagnosed with this garbage now because teachers/parents want an easy way to subdue little kids. Then it leaks over to "adults" who just want what amounts to a performance enhancing drug, which is taken exactly for that purpose by some students.
 
I was gonna talk about my experiences with living with ADHD, but there are too many posts to read.

A lot of people think I don't really have ADHD because of my high grades before diagnosis. They are convinced I just do it for the drugs. It is crazy to believe that some people out there think ADHD isn't a real disorder.
 
PingPongPro said:
I was gonna talk about my experiences with living with ADHD, but there are too many posts to read.

A lot of people think I don't really have ADHD because of my high grades before diagnosis. They are convinced I just do it for the drugs. It is crazy to believe that some people out there think ADHD isn't a real disorder.
Click to expand...

Talk about your experiences if you're going to try to convince people, otherwise your post is superfluous. I'm open to having my mind changed if someone is more convincing than the OP.
 
kcin said:
OH MAN!!!!! I really need to study but there's other stuff that I find more interesting!!! I must have ADHD!!!!!1111111111

Give me a break.
Click to expand...

I'm not going to get diagnosed or take drugs because I don't want the stigma, but I think I have it. As an example, I have a lot of trouble reading textbooks. I've flipped through a single chapter for literally an hour trying to find a piece of information rather than reading it because I don't have the attention span to read. If I do read it I almost always find myself skipping large sections and going back to scanning for information.

Or maybe this is a normal thing? I don't know.
 
Yeah, psych meds for kids is an interesting dilemma. I read an article from a source of comparable credibility that said over 80% of psych meds prescribed for kids are not prescribed by psychiatrists.

It also stated that a fairly absurd number of these drugs were prescribed for some off-label use (i.e. we don't know exactly what this is doing to your kid, but we hope it will get them to behave the way you'd like them to).
 
I have ADD (self diagnosed ;)) and the worst thing about it is timing and deadlines. It used to f*** up my eduction but now I've learned how to take advantage of it. I can't learn crap in class but I do very very well now because I record the lectures and I've learned to force myself to relisten through hours and hours straight of lecture by myself during the night (cant seem to do it during the day and no im not on medication). The way I do it is to get myself very interested usually by thinking of a goal or listening to some sad music and thinking of what i could have acomplished by now and what mistakes ive made and setbacks ive had (I'm still only 23 lol but theres so many things in my life I couldve done better). I have to like find a deep emotional connection to WANT to do what im trying to do... kinda hard to explain. It takes awhile takes awhile to get focused but once you find that motivational spark you can go on for hours. I usually do very large blocks of hours becuase i lose track of time and dont really feel tired or the need to stop and its really hard to intitate the process so its like... lets not waste it lol.

The good thing about it is that once I force this motivation onto myself on a subject, I can literally pull multiple all nighters in a row just on that single thing im doing. Helps wonders for exams... just have to work very hard to initiate the process. The bad thing is that sometimes I also go for hours on stupid things like sdn and not realize it (like yesterday when i listened to lectures from like 9pm till 5am then ended up getting sidetracked on sdn from like 5am till like 9am....and when I end up writing essay posts like these on sdn for hours on end. More times than I can count I find myself reading about special relativity, time dialation, string theory, black holes, anything and everythig astronomy for hours on end at night until the alarm for class goes off but yet I can't seem to pay attention to a live one hour anatomy lecture).

The only problem I have with it is that I fear its gonna screw me over in the working world when everything has a deadline and organization is key (like running a practice...). I'm always barely on time and have a hard time paying bills on time even when though I have the money and know exactly when the due date is. The worst feeling is feeling so disorganized and overwhelmed that I just start not giving a crap anymore. A lot of the time my mind is on a million things at once and I just cant take care of the daily tasks but when I focus on something no one can stop me.

2.9 GPA Undergrad (I'd get like an A in biochem and then a D in ecology then a C in orgo 1 and then a A in orgo 2... lol weird stuff)
4.0 GPA Dental School - Rank #1
 
Last edited:
americanpierg said:
I have ADD (self diagnosed ;)) and the worst thing about it is timing and deadlines. It used to f*** up my eduction but now I've learned how to take advantage of it. I can't learn crap in class but I do very very well now because I record the lectures and I've learned to force myself to relisten through hours and hours straight of lecture by myself during the night (cant seem to do it during the day and no im not on medication). The way I do it is to get myself very interested usually by thinking of a goal or listening to some sad music and thinking of what i could have acomplished by now and what mistakes ive made and setbacks ive had. It takes awhile takes awhile to get focused but once you find that motivational spark you can go on for hours. I usually do very large blocks of hours becuase i lose track of time and dont really feel tired or the need to stop and its really hard to intitate the process.

The good thing about it is that once I force this motivation onto myself on a subject, I can literally pull multiple all nighters in a row just on that single thing im doing. Helps wonders for exams... just have to work very hard to initiate the process. The bad thing is that sometimes I also go for hours on stupid things like sdn and not realize it (like yesterday when i listened to lectures from like 9pm till 5am then ended up getting sidetracked on sdn from like 5am till like 9am....and when I end up writing essay posts like these on sdn for hours on end...)

The only problem I have with it is that I fear its gonna screw me over in the working world when everything has a deadline and organization is key (like running a practice...). I'm always barely on time and have a hard time paying bills on time even when though I have the money and know exactly when the due date is. The worst feeling is feeling so disorganized and overwhelmed that I just start not giving a crap anymore. A lot of the time my mind is on a million things at once and I just cant take care of the daily tasks but when I focus on something no one can stop me.

2.9 GPA Undergrad (I'd get like an A in biochem and then a D in ecology then a C in orgo 1 and then a A in orgo 2... lol weird stuff)
4.0 GPA Dental School - Rank #1
Click to expand...

This is genius. I'm going to start trying this LOL... serious. I'm actually really encouraged by this. Anything is possible with perseverance and hard work.

On a separate note, ADHD may be overdiagnosed and its drugs may be overprescribed, but I feel like all these claims that "ADHD is BS" are red herrings. It's like saying that "depression isn't real" because sadness is just a feeling and those people just arent trying hard enough to be happy. So for us, we're just not trying hard enough to focus right? What if there really is an attention disorder?
 
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